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About 11 in every 10,000 multiple births across 14 European countries in 2007 had congenital defects, up from about six in every 10,000 multiple births in 1984, according to a study in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Researchers noted that the largest increase in birth defects among multiples was not due to chromosomal abnormalities.

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Babies presenting in a breech position at birth were more likely to have congenital abnormalities, according to a new, population-based study in the Journal of Perinatology. The findings, the authors conclude, suggest that breech presentation near delivery -- particularly among full-term infants -- should prompt clinicians to check for underlying abnormalities. The study involved 460,147 single-infant deliveries in Missouri between 1993 and 1999. Using a state birth-defects registry and birth certificates, researchers found that babies who were breech at birth were more than twice as likely to have at least one congenital anomaly diagnosed during their first year (11.7% vs. 5.1%), whether full term (9.4 vs. 4.6%) or preterm (20.1 vs. 11.6%). A stronger association was seen for full term vs. preterm infants -- specifically, for chromosomal, central nervous system and musculoskeletal anomalies. For oral clefts, however, the association was stronger in preterm infants. Read the article.

The number of babies with a rare birth defect called gastroschisis almost doubled in more than 11 years, from 2.3 cases for every 10,000 live births in 1995 to 4.4 cases in 2005, a study showed. Women who gave birth in their early 20s had a 5.8% increased risk each year of having a child with the condition, while white, black and Hispanic women had about 4% to 6% increased risk each year. The findings appear in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.

About 11 in every 10,000 multiple births across 14 European countries in 2007 had congenital defects, up from about 6 in every 10,000 multiple births in 1984, according to a study in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Researchers noted that the largest increase in birth defects among multiples was not due to chromosomal abnormalities.

The growth in the number of older women having babies and the use of in vitro fertilization techniques have helped drive up birth defect rates in Europe from 1984 to 2007, according to a study in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Europe experienced a 50% increase in congenital birth defects during that period, according to European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies data.

Data on more than 1,600 women from the Danish National Birth Cohort showed that low to moderate alcohol consumption weekly during pregnancy did not affect children's brain development at age 5. However, researchers noted that drinking nine or more drinks per week during pregnancy was tied to lower attention spans among 5-year-olds. The study was published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.